1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for manufacturing packed wet-type instant noodles, and in particular to a method for manufacturing packed wet-type instant noodles of a double-layered structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Packed wet-type instant noodles are known to have advantages that they can be preserved at the ordinary temperature, and they can be turned into an edible state by retrogressing them with hot water within a shorter period of time as compared with dry type instant noodles such as fried noodles and dried noodles. Conventionally, the packed wet-type instant noodles are manufactured by a process comprising the steps of mixing and kneading an alkaline agent and raw powders consisting mainly of wheat flour and starch thereby forming a dough; preparing a noodle strip from the dough; cutting the noodle strip into a plurality of noodles thereby obtaining raw noodles; boiling and steaming the raw noodles; treating the raw noodles with an acid solution after cooling the boiled raw noodles; packing the raw noodles in a bag made of heat-resistant resin film; and heat treating the packed raw noodles thereby thermally sterilizing the raw noodles. For example, this packed wet-type instant noodles are offered as a packed of instant cup noodles by putting the packed wet-type instant noodles together with a soup-containing bag and an ingredients-containing bag into a bowl made of for example expanded polystyrene. When the packed wet-type instant noodles are to be eaten, the instant noodles are taken out of the heat-resistant resin film bag and introduced into the bowl together with a soup in the soup-containing bag, and, after pouring a hot water into the bowl, the whole mixture is left to stand for as short as one minute or so until it can be turned into an edible state. By contrast, in the case of fried noodles, it can not be turned into an edible state unless the fried noodles are left to stand for about three minutes after adding hot water to the fried noodles.
However, most of the packed wet-type instant noodles are poor in firmness so that it is hardly possible to obtain such an eating feeling as obtainable in the wet-type ordinary noodles.
In order to overcome the above drawback of the packed wet-type instant noodles, there has been proposed a method for manufacturing a packed wet-type instant noodles wherein protein such as the white and gluten or a thickener such as Locust bean gum and Xanthan gum are added to raw powders consisting mainly of wheat flour or wheat flour and starch for providing the raw noodles with firmness or elasticity (Koshi). It is certainly possible to improve the firmness of the packed wet-type instant noodles by using such raw powders. However, even with such a method, the wet-type instant noodles to be obtained are still short of firmness and smoothness which are peculiar to the wet-type ordinary noodles.
On the other hand, there has also been developed a method of manufacturing wet-type instant noodles of two-ply or three-ply structure. For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKOKU Publication No. 56-24496 discloses a method for manufacturing seasoned noodles of two-ply structure, which comprises the steps of preparing a noodle strip by mixing and rolling ingredients containing wheat flour mixed with an organic acid-containing food as a main component; preparing another noodle strip by mixing and rolling ingredients containing as a main component wheat flour without accompanying an organic acid-containing food; superposing the first-mentioned noodle strip upon the latter noodle strip thereby forming a two-ply strip; further rolling the two-ply strip thereby sufficiently adhering both noodle strips to each other; cutting the two-ply strip into a plurality of noodles thereby obtaining seasoned noodles of two-ply structure. However, this method for manufacturing seasoned noodles of two-ply structure is merely intended to produce ordinary noodles which is not an instant type and also is not adapted to be preserved for a long period of time.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 5-91845 discloses a method for manufacturing packed wet-type instant noodles having three-ply structure wherein the middle layer is made rather hard and outer layers are made smooth, thereby making the eating feeling thereof more similar to the wet-type ordinary noodles. However, since the wet-type instant noodles thus obtained are a three-ply structure, the number of steps is inevitably increased and the manufacturing steps become rather complicated.